Sunday 1 December 1667

(Lord’s day). Up, and after entering my journal for 2 or 3 days, I to church, where Mr. Mills, a dull sermon: and in our pew there sat a great lady, which I afterwards understood to be my Lady Carlisle, that made her husband a cuckold in Scotland, a very fine woman indeed in person. After sermon home, where W. Hewer dined with us, and after dinner he and I all the afternoon to read over our office letters to see what matters can be got for our advantage or disadvantage therein. In the evening comes Mr. Pelling and the two men that were with him formerly, the little man that sings so good a base (Wallington) and another that understands well, one Pigott, and Betty Turner come and sat and supped with us, and we spent the evening mighty well in good musique, to my great content to see myself in condition to have these and entertain them for my own pleasure only. So they gone, we to bed.

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"in our pew there sat a great lady, which I afterwards understood to be my Lady Carlisle, that made her husband a cuckold in Scotland, a very fine woman indeed in person."

How did Samuel know she was "a great lady"? Probably expensively dressed, and with a lady in waiting around her. We see Samuel immediately gathered information about her name and CV...at least what people are interested in from the days of cave dwellings till wikileaks.

We learnt that Pepys amassed 122 volumes either of music or about music and that he acquired an Arca Musarhythmica (a sort of 'difference machine' for enabling the user to identify orthodox four-part harmonies for a given melody-line).

The programme also presented a performance of "Beauty, retire" - very melancholy, though probably affecting if you're in that sort of mood. One can see why it didn't catch on and become a popular favourite.